Ski harness



May 26, 1970 R. L. SUTHERLAND SKI HARNESS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 6, 1968 INVENTOR W RoBE/vLEzm/mmw BY o m /ha/M 2kyi A W.

' PATENT AGENT y 6, 1970 R. L. SUTHERLAND 3,514,119

SKI HARNESS Filed MarGh 6. 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 .2 mmmmwimmmww law: 3mm i Y/DATENT Aebwrs May 26, 1970 R. L. SUTHERLAND SKI HARNESS d Q QM $1 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVEN '1 'OR ROBERTA Sun/Emma BY 7216a,?

Filed March 6, 1968 PA'T'ENT AGENT May 26 1970 R. L. SUTHERLAND SKI HARNESS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

Filed March 6, 1968 INVENTOR ROBERT L SUTHERLAND BY gUsZ/v,

WW 2 Y '1 AGENT DATFMT' May 26, 1970 R. L. SUTHERLAND 3,514,119

SKI HARNESS Filed March 6, 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 United States Patent 3,514,119 SKI HARNESS Robert L. Sutherland, 608 Medical Centre Bldg., Calgary, Alberta, Canada Filed Mar. 6, 1968, Ser. No. 713,270 Int. Cl. A63c 9/00 US. Cl. 280-1135 18 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A ski harness for fastening a ski boot to a ski for permitting easy adjustment of the boot relative to the ski. A carrier is provided for mounting over the ski and has a rear portion on which a toe piece is carried and a forwardly extending portion on which a cable tensioning toggle means is carried. The carrier has locking means for securing it to the ski in a number of positions longitudinally of the ski so that the toe piece and toggle means with the carrier may be moved as a unit to thereby adiust the position of the boot.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the sport of skiing, and particularly in competitive skiing and in deep powder skiing, it is desirable to be able to shift the relative position of the ski boot on the ski in the longitudinal direction of the ski. Toe irons are available which can be adjusted fore and aft over a total distance in the order of one inch which has not proved sufficient. Moreover, when the toe iron is shifted so that the ski boot may be moved forward or rearward, the heel cable and the cable tensioning mechanism must also be adjusted due to the changed position of the boot on the ski. Thus, with the known adjustable toe iron arrangements, the job of even making a small adjustment of the boot in the longitudinal direction can be tedious, and in certain adverse elimatal conditions frequently encountered when skiing, the making of the adjustment can be very unpleasant.

It is also desirable under certain skiing conditions to be able to tilt the boot sideways relative to the ski for the purpose of increasing the pressure on the side edge of the ski, and to accomplish this, Wedges are available for placing under one edge of the boot. Alternatively, wedge means are incorporated in the sole of the boot so that the boot tilts on the ski. However, when the boot is tilted by such arrangements, the toe of the boot abuts against the toe iron at an improper angle due to the fact the toe iron remains in its usual position. Accordingly, the fastening of the boot to the ski may not be adequate.

SUMMARY According to the present invention, there is provided a carrier member for mounting over the ski, and a toe piece is secured to the carrier member. The carrier member has a portion extending forwardly of the toe piece, and a cable tensioning toggle means is secured on the forwardly extending portion so that the toe piece and toggle means are movable in unison with the carrier in a longitudinal direction of the ski through a plurality of positions relative to the ski. Also provided are locking means which include a base member which is secured to the ski and a retaining means which may be releasably fixed to the base member. The retaining means is engageable with the carrier member in each of its positions for locking the carrier member relative to the base member. Thus, the carrier member may be shifted longitudinally along the ski and then locked in a position so that the position of the boot on the ski may be varied forwardly and rearwardly.

With the device of the present invention, the position of the boot can be varied therefore by simply releasing the retaining means and shifting the carrier to a new position before relocking the retaining means. Because the toe piece and toggle means shift as a unit no adjustment of the cable tension is necessary. Moreover, due to the fact the toe piece is mounted on the carrier member which is readily detachable from the ski, it is possible to provide wedge means to tilt the carrier member and toe piece so that if wedge means are provided either under the boot or footplate of the ski the toe piece can be tilted to maintain proper engagement between the toepiece and boot.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings, which illustrate certain embodiments of the invention, by way of example:

FIG. 1 is a top view of a central portion of a ski having the ski binding device of the present invention mounted thereon;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the ski shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view as seen from III-III of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view as IV-IV of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view as V-V of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view as VI-VI of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view as VIIVII of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of an alternative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view as seen along the line IX-IX of FIG. 8;

FIG. 9a is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 9, and showing an alternative arrangement;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view as seen along the line X-X of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the forward end portion of the carrier member of FIG. 8, the end portion being received in a guide secured to the ski;

FIGS. 12 to 15 are perspective views showing alternative embodiments of the tongue guide;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view with parts removed for the sake of clarity, of a portion of the ski showing a movable cable holddown arrangement which may form part of the present invention; and

FIG. 17 is a top view of the arrangement shown in FIG. 16 with parts removed for the sake of clarity.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring first to FIGS. 1 to 7, the reference character 20 denotes a ski. Mounted on the ski is a carrier member 21 having secured to its rear and main body portion 22 a toe piece or iron 23, which may be of a commercially available type, the toe iron 23 being attached to and extending upwardly from the top of the body portion 22. The carrier member 21 has a forwardly extending portion, which is preferably in the form of a tongue 24 formed integrally with main body portion 23. Tongue 24 is received in a guide 25 secured to the ski and the tongue 24 has secured thereto a cable tensioning toggle means 26 which also may be of a commercially available type.

The carrier member 21 may be formed from sheet metal, the width of which is greater than that of the ski so that the main body portion 22 may have side flanges 27, 27 bent downwardly therefrom so as to be of an inverted channel shape in cross-section. The flanges 27, 27 strengthen the carrier member 21 against bending due to the pressures applied at the toe iron, and flanges line seen from line seen from line seen from line seen from line 27, 27 extend downwardly beside the side edges of the ski so that the carrier member 21 may only be shifted in the longitudinal direction of the ski. At the forward end of the main body portion 22, tongue 24, which is preferably formed from the same sheet metal as the remainder of the carrier member, extends forward and is of less width than the main body portion. At the rear corners of the main body portion 22 at either side of the toe iron 23 there is pressed from the sheet metal plate a pair of laterally projecting hold-down lugs 30', 30. The lugs 30, 30 extend outwardly from the side edges of the ski and have a curvature for receiving heel cable 31 which is connected to toggle means 26.

Secured to the ski rearwardly of the toe iron 23 by screws 32 is a foot plate 33 which is a simple elongated plate of sheet metal. Along both side edges of the ski below the foot plate 33 a plurality of hold-down lugs 34 are fastened to the ski. The lugs 34 are spaced longitudinally and have a downwardly curved portion projecting laterally from the ski to hold cable 31 rearwardly of lugs 30, 30.

Mounted on the flat upper surface of the ski is a filler plate 35 which may be made up of one or more pieces of sheet plastic or similar material. The filler plate, which is the width of the ski, extends under the foot plate 32 (FIG. 3) and forward under carrier member 21 (FIGS. 4 and S). The forward portion of the filler plate 35 is divided, however, to provide spaced strips defining a central, elongated space 36 therebetween. In the space 36 and fixed to the ski by screws 37 is an anchor or base member 40. Base member 40, which is a plate several inches long, and is located under the centre of the main body portion 22 of the carrier member 21, preferably has an upper surface 41 which is coplanar with upper surface 42 of filler plate 35 so that the under surface of the carrier 21 may rest on base member 40 and filler plate 35.

Either main body portion 22 or base member 40, or both, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 4- and 5, have a series of bores therein. Body portion 22 may, for example, have three bores 43 spaced longitudinally along the centre line of the carrier member 21. Under the centre line of the carrier member 21, base member 40, has a plurality of bores 45 which may have different spacing than bores 43 so that alignment of one bore in carrier member 21 with one bore in base member 40' takes place as carrier member 21 is shifted forwardly or rearwardly to a large number of portions. Base member 40, together with a retaining means 44 provide a lock means for locking carrier member 21 to the ski 20. The retainer 44 includes a stud 46, which is threaded so that it may be screwed into any one of the threaded bores 45. At its upper end, stud 46 has a diametrical slot 47. Encircling stud 46, which projects upwardly through one of bores 45, is a washer 50, and a nut 51, which may be in the form of a wing-nut, is threaded onto the stud 46 to clamp the carrier member 21 to the base member 40, and, therefore, to the ski 20.

The toggle means 26, includes a handle 52 pivotally connected to a support 53, which is fixed to tongue 24, and has a hook member 54 which cable 31 is connected to. The support 53 is centrally located on the tongue which is wider than the support so that side edge portions 55 project laterally from the support 53 (FIG. 6). The guide 25 is in the form of an elongated channel member 56 having inturned side flanges 57, 57 which overlie the side edge portions of the tongue 24. Thus, as the channel 25 encompasses the edge portions of the tongue, the tongue can slide or reciprocate longitudinally within the channel member as carrier member 21 is adjusted in either direction. At the forward end of channel member 56, means are provided for securing the guide 24 to the ski, the means being in the form of a stud 60 secured to a small plate 61 which is secured to ski 20 by screws 62 (-FIG. 7). Stud 60 projects upwardly through a hole 63 in the channel member 56, and a cotter 4 pin 64 passing through an eye in the stud 60 prevents upward movement of the guide 24, and, of course, prevents upward movement of tongue 24.

To adjust the position of the boot relative to the ski, wing-nut 51 is loosened to unclamp the carrier member 21, and by inserting a small flat object in slot 47, stud 46 may be turned out of bore 45 and held in the hand while the carrier 21 is moved to a new position in which a new pair of bores 43 and 45 align. The stud 47 is then reinserted and wing-nut 51 tightened on to clamp the carrier member 21 in its new position. During the movement of the carrier member, toe iron 23, which establishes its position of the boot 65 on the ski, and toggle means 26 move as a unit so that the tension of the cable 31, which passes around the heel of the boot need not be adjusted. If the adjustment of the carrier member is a significant amount, for example, in the rearward direction in FIGS. 1 and 2, it may be desirable to remove the cable from the front hold-down lugs 34 and then utilize the rearmost hold-down lug 34, but this is, of course, a simple adjustment.

If it is desirable to tilt the boot by the described known methods, a wedge member 66 can be inserted between the carrier member 21 and the filler plate 35 at either side of the ski so that the carrier member and toe iron 23 also assume a tilted position (FIGS. 4 and 5). Thus, relative to the tilted boot the toe iron remains at a proper angle. Rather than utilizing the known methods of tilting, it is possible, and indeed preferable, with the present invention to insert another wedge member 67 directly between the foot plate 33 and filler plate 67 as shown in FIG. 3 so that the foot plate is tilted and there is no danger of losing the wedge or having it become misplaced.

With the present invention, it is possible, at very little cost, to equip two or more pairs of skis to utilize the same basic components. The carrier member with the toe iron and toggle means secured thereto and also the guide 25 can be quickly removed from one ski and applied to another already having the base member 40 fixed thereto. To change the carrier member 21, it is only necessary to remove the stud 46 as previously described, to put the carrier member on the other ski and to then insert the stud. The guide 25 can also be quickly removed by pulling cotter pin 60.

Referring now to FIGS. 8 to 11, which show a preferred embodiment, it may be noted that many parts, which bear the same reference characters of the previously described embodiment, are the same or similar. Carrier member 21' is of substantially the same shape as carrier member 21. The lugs 30, 30" may consist of pieces of metal welded to the carrier members and extending upwardly therefrom as may be best seen in FIG. 9. Carrier member 21' also carries a toe iron 23 on its main body portion 22' and has a forwardly projecting tongue 24 carrying a toggle means 26. The body portion 22 has, however, only one centrally located main bore 70, but located to one side of main bore 70 there is also a small bore 71 (FIG. 9).

As in the previous embodiment, the filler plate 35 provides a central space 36. The base member 40', however, is a large plate member 72, which may be divided transversely as at 73 to permit proper flexing of the ski. The plate member '72 has a central portion over the space 36, and the central portion defines a centrally disposed, longitudinal slot 74 under bore 70. Along one side of slot 74 there are a number of longitudinally spaced bores 77 in plate member 72, the bores being on the same longitudinal line as bore 71. Retainer means 44 includes a flat rigid plate member 75 located in the space 36 under the central portion of plate member 72. A stud 46' is secured to plate member 76 and projects upwardly through slot 74 and bore 70. A washer 76 having a pin depending therefrom encircles the stud 46. The pin 80 is positioned to extend downwardly through bore 71 and one of bores 77 when they are aligned. A wing-nut 51 is tightened on to stud 46' so that rigid plate member 75 is pulled tightly against the bottom of base member 40 and carrier member 21 is tightly clamped to base member 40". Due to the fact the pin 80 passes through bore 71 in carrier member 21 and bore 77 in base member 40, the carrier is positively locked against any sliding motion in the event of the carrier member 21' being exposed to shock force which could cause some slipping between the carrier member and the base member in spite of the clamping force applied by wing-nut 51. Instead of providing bore 71 in the carrier member, the pin 80 may be secured to the bottom of the carrier member for reception in any one of the bores 77. As an alternative to the pin and bore arrangement, a series of longitudinally spaced recesses 71a (FIG. 9a) could be provided in the under surface of the carrier member and the base member could have an upwardly projecting protuberance 80a adapted to be received in any one of the recesses when the carrier member is clamped down.

To adjust the position of the boot in the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the wing-nut 51 is loosened until the carrier member 21 is no longer clamped to the plate member 72 forming base plate 40' and until pin 80 can be pulled clear of the bore 77. The carrier can then be slid in either direction to a desired position in which a bore 77 aligns with bore 71 so that the pin 80 can again be pushed down and the wing-nut tightened.

As in the previously described embodiment of the invention, the carrier together with the toe iron 23 and toggle means can be changed to another ski by simply sliding rigid plate 75 forward, after wing-nut 51 has been loosened, until the rigid plate slides out from under plate means 72.

Although the bottom of the main body portion 22' usually engages the top surface of the base member 40, it is possible to tilt the toe iron 23, by again tilting the carrier member 40 by inserting a wedge member (not shown) under one side of the carrier member.

The guide 25 is similar to that previously described in that it consists of a channel shaped member which reciprocably receives the tongue 24. In order to make the guide means readily removable from the ski, the attachment means is different from that previously shown. The attachment means consists of a U-shaped member 81, the bottom lug 83 of which is attached to the ski by screws 82. The top lug 84 projects rearwardly over lug 83 and is dimensioned to be received in the forward end of the channel-shaped member. In order to prevent rearward movement of the guide it has a transversely disposed strip 85 of rigid material forming an abutment means which engages the forward end of plate member 72. U-shaped member 81 is formed of resilient material so that the rear end of guide 25 may be raised to thereby flex the U-shaped member. As the strip 85 clears the forward ends of plate member 72, the guide 25 may be pulled off the lug 84.

In the embodiment of the guide shown in FIG. 12, the forward end of the tongue 25 is turned under to form a hook 86. The guide, which is secured to the top surface of the ski 20 by screws 90, 90, consists of an inverted channel shaped member 87. Due to the fact flanges 91, 91 engage the ski, web portion 92 of the channel shaped member is spaced above the top surface of the ski 20, and web portion 92 has a plurality of transverse slots 93 which are longitudinally spaced. The slots 93 are spaced distances equal to the longitudinal spacing of the bores 77 in FIG. 8 so that the hook 86 is received in a different slot for each position to which the main body portion 22 of the carrier member is adjusted.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 13, the forward end of the tongue 25 is of the same configuration as that shown in FIG. 12 and has a book 86. In this embodiment, however, the guide rail consists of a rigid strip 94 secured to the ski 20 and encompassed by a plurality of bands 95 of elastic material. The bands are longitudinally spaced like slots 93 for receiving the hook 86 and thereby hold the tongue 25 from moving upwardly away from the ski when the cable 31 is tensioned by toggle means 26.

The function of the guide shown in FIG. 14 is more similar to that shown in FIGS. 1 and 8 in that the tongue simply slides relative to the guide as the carrier member is slid to a new position. In this embodiment, the guide includes an elongated rail member 96 having a flat upper surface 97 engageable with the flat under surface of the tongue 25. The rail 96 is secured to the ski by elastic bands 100 which tightly encompass the rail and are in turn fixed to the upper surface of the ski. The forward end of the tongue 25 is simply flat and, by rivets 101 or other such means, a collar or band 102 of resilient material is secured thereto. The collar 102 also encircles the rail 96, which is spaced slightly above the top surface of the ski by the bands 100, whereby the tongue can slide longitudinally along the rail. The rail 96 may have upturned edge portions 103, 103 to make the rail more rigid and help maintain the tongue centralized.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 15, which also permits longitudinal sliding of the tongue relative to the guide, the forward end of the tongue 25 has a pair of opposed downwardly depending lugs 104. The lugs have inturned end portions 105. The guide consists of an elongated rail 106 of T-shaped cross-section secured to the ski by screws 107. Vertical web 108 of 106 rests on the ski and horizontal flange 110 at the top of web 108 is of a width to be received between the downwardly depending lugs 104 of the tongue. Inturned end portions of the lugs hook under the flange so that the tongue 25 may only slide longitudinally relative to the rail 106.

In place of the known type of hold-down lugs 34 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, improved movable cable holding device, such as that shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 may be provided so that adjustment can be made when the boot is shifted forward or rearward on the ski. The device shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 includes a filler means 111, which is inserted under foot plate 33. The foot plate shown in the present instant consists of a sheet metal plate member 112 with a layer of rubber 113 or similar material bonded to the upper surface of the metal plate member. The filler means defines a plurality of transverse channels 114, which received from opposite ends a pair of heel cable hold-down elements or members 115. Each channel 114 is shallow and wide in cross-section and the opening to the channel at either side of the ski 20 is defined by notches in a pair of elongated metal side members 116 each of which is angle-shaped. Each side member 116 has an inwardly projecting lateral flange 117 and a short outside vertical flange 120 which is cut away at regular intervals to form the aligned notches in the side member. Extending between the vertical flanges 120 are transverse plastic filler strips 121, the side edges of which define the side walls of the channel. The ends of the filler strips 121 are located under the lateral flanges 117 and abut the vertical flanges 120 between the notches. Extending lengthwise between the inside edges of lateral flanges 117 is an elongated plastic filler strip 122 which defines the top wall of the channels. Filler strips 121 and 122 may, as an a ternative, be formed from one integral piece of plastic. The upper surface of the plastic filler strip 122 is preferably coplanar with the upper surfaces of the lateral flanges 117 so that a flat foot plate engaging surface is provided from one side of the ski to the other.

Each cable hold-down member consists of an eye portion 123 and a shank portion 124 receivab e in the channels 114. The hold-down members 115 are prefer ably formed of a flat metal strip having a cross-section at the shank portion to fit snugly in the channel. The outer end of the metal strip is curled under to form the eye portion to receive the heel cable 31. The inner end portion of the shank portion 124 of one of the hold-down member 115 is provided with a rectangular notch or recess 125 (FIG. 17) and the inner end portion of the other has a similarly shaped projection 126 for mating reception in the recess. In View of the fact the channels 114 may become packed wit-h snow, it is desirable to taper the ends of the legs defining the recess 125 as shown at 130 and to provide points 131 at the end of projection 126 to facilitate the insertion of the shank portions into the channel.

To prevent the accidental removal of the shank portions from the channel, each shank portion has a notch 133 in its forward edge located to receive flange 120 at the forward end of the opening of the channel. A spring element 134 is secured in the channel and is arranged to engage the shank portion 124 of one of the hold-down elements 115 and to bias the hold-down members forward so that they are locked against withdrawal by the engagement of the flanges 120, 120 in the notches 133, 133.

The inner ends of the shank portions may be provided with a variety of recesses and projections to achieve an interlock therebetween, or alternatively, the thickness of the shanks may taper 011 towards the inner end so that they have overlapping portions which wedge together as the shank portions are inserted into the channel.

It may also be desirable to connect an elastic strip or other type of tensioning member (not shown) between the outer ends of the hold-down members. Such a tension member, which passes over the footplate, tends to draw the hold-down members together and thereby prevents unintentional endwise movement of the hold-down members out of the channels.

When the carrier member 21 is moved from one set position to another a distance sufiicient to make it desirable to move the hold-down members 115, the hold-down members can simply be pul ed endwise out of one channel 114 when the tension on cable 31 is released. The eye portions 123 are then slid slightly along the cable, and the shank portions 124, 124 are then inserted from opposite ends into another channel to take the position shown in FIG. 17. When the heel cable 31 is placed around the heel of the boot and the toggle means 26 actuated to tighten the cable, the upward and inward pull applied to the eye portions of the hold-down members by the cable passing around the heel of the boot maintain the shanks of the hold-down members firmly in the channels and held against lateral displacement.

It is apparent that modifications can be made to the above-described embodiments of the invention without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I'claim:

1. A ski binding device for fastening a ski boot to a ski, said device comprising a carrier member including a plate member having a main body portion for mounting over the ski, a toe iron secured to said carrier member and projecting upwardly from said main body portion for engagement with the boot, said carrier member having a tongue formed integrally with said main body portion and extending forwardly of said toe iron, a cable tensioning toggle means secured on the tongue of said carrier member, said toe iron and toggle means being movable in unison with said carrier member in a longitudinal direction of the ski through a plurality of positions relative to the ski, and locking means including a base member and a retaining means releasably fixed to said base member, said base member comprising a flat plate member securable to the ski and having an upper surface engageable with an undersurface of said main body portion, said retaining means being engageab e with said carrier member in each of said positions for locking said main body portion against all movement relative to said base, a tongue guide securable to the ski forward of said base member and under said tongue, said guide having means cooperable with said tongue for permitting longitudinal adjustment of said tongue but preventing movement of said tongue upward of the ski, whereby said carrier member may be selectively shifted longitudinally of the ski to thereby vary the relative position of the boot.

2. A ski binding device as defined in claim 1 wherein one of said plate members has a plurality of longitudinally spaced bores therein and the other has at least one bore therein aligning with any one of said bores of said one plate member when said carrier member is moved to one of said positions, each bore in said base member being threaded, and wherein said retaining means includes a threaded stud member received in said threaded bore and passing through the aligned bore of said carrier member.

3. A ski binding device as defined in claim 1, wherein said main body portion of said carrier member has cable hold-down lugs formed thereon, said lugs projecting upwardly and outwardly from opposite sides of said mam body portion and being located rearwardly of said toggle means.

4. A ski binding device as defined in claim 1, and further comprising wedge members insertable under the main body portion of said plate member forming said carrier member whereby said toe iron may be tilted relatlve to said ski.

5. A ski binding device for fastening a ski boot to a ski, said device comprising a plate member forming a carrier member for mounting over the ski, said carrier member having a main body portion, a toe iron secured to said carrier member and projecting upwardly from said main body portion for engagement with said boot, a tongue formed integrally with said main body portion and projecting forwardly of said toe iron, a cable tensioning toggle means secured on said tongue whereby said toe iron and toggle means are movable in unison with said carrier member in a longitudinal direction of said ski, a base member in the form of a plate member for securement onto said ski under the main body portion of said carrier member, filler plate means securable to said ski along both sides of said plate member forming said base members, said filler plate means and base member being arranged to have substantially coplanar upper surfaces engageable with a flat undersurface of said main body portion of said carrier member, locking means for fixing said carrier member relative to said base member in a plurality of positions longitudinally of said ski for varying the relative position of said boot along said ski, said locking means including a plurality of longitudinally spaced bores in one of said plate members and at least one bore in the other of said plate members for alignment with any one of said bores in said one plate member when said carrier member is moved to one of said plurality of positions, each bore in said base member being threaded, and a threaded stud member received in the threaded bore and passing through the aligned bore in said carrier member.

6. A ski binding device as defined in claim 5, and further comprising a foot plate securable to said ski behind said toe iron, and wherein said filler plate is arranged to extend rearwardly under said foot plate.

7. A ski binding device as defined in claim 6, and further comprising wedge members insertable between said carrier member and said base member and between said foot plate and said filler plate on either side of the longitudinal axis of the ski for tilting said boot sideways relative to said ski.

8. A ski binding device as defined in claim 6, wherein said foot plate comprises an elongated metal plate and a rubber layer bonded onto said metal plate.

9. A ski binding device for fastening a ski boot to a ski, said device comprising a plate member forming a carrier member for mounting over the ski, said carrier member having a main body portion, a toe iron secured to said carrier member and projecting forwardly of said toe iron, a cable tensioning toggle means secured on said tongue whereby said toe iron and toggle means are movable in unison with said carrier in a longitudinal direction of said ski, a base member in the form of a plate member for securement to said ski under said main body portion of said carrier member, said base member having a central portion with a longitudinal slot therein, said central portion being spaced above said ski, locking means for fixing said carrier member relative to said base member in a plurality of positions longitudinally of said ski for varying the relative positions of said boot along said ski, said locking means including a rigid member of greater width than said slot and engageable with the bottom surface of the central portion of said base member, a threaded stud fixed to said rigid member and projecting upwardly through a bore in said carrier member over said slot, nut means threaded onto said threaded stud for clamping said main body portion against said base member as said nut means is tightened, one of said plate members having a plurality of longitudinally spaced openings therein, the other of said plate members having a projection thereon selectively receivable in each of said openings for posi tively locking said plate members against relative movement when said plate members are clamped between said rigid member and nut means.

10. A ski binding device for fastening a ski boot to a ski, said device comprising a plate member forming a carrier member for mounting over the ski, said carrier member having a main body portion, a toe iron secured to said carrier member and projecting upwardly from said main body portion for engagement with said boot, a tongue formed integrally with said main body portion and projecting forwardly of said toe iron, a cable tensioning toggle means secured on said tongue whereby said toe iron and toggle means are movable in unison with said carrier in a longitudinal direction of said ski, a base member in the form of a plate member for securement to said ski under said main body portion of said carrier member, said base member having a central portion with a longitudinal slot therein, said central portion being spaced above said ski, locking means for fixing said carrier member relative to said base member in a plurality of positions longitudinally of said ski for varying the relative position of said boot along said ski, said locking means including a rigid member of greater width than said slot and engageable with the bottom surface ofthe central portion of said base member, a threaded stud fixed to said rigid member and projecting upwardly through a bore in said carrier member over said slot, nut means threaded onto said threaded stud for clamping said main body portion against said base member as said nut means is tightened, said plate member forming said base member having a plurality of longitudinally spaced bores therein, said plate member forming said carrier member having a bore therein located to align with each bore in said base member when said carrier member is shifted to each of said positions, and pin means receivable in the aligned bores for positively locking said carrier member against longitudinal sliding on said base member.

11. A ski binding device for fastening a ski boot to a ski, said device comprising a plate member forming a carrier member for mounting over the ski, said carrier member having a main body portion, a toe iron secured to said carrier member and projecting upwardly from said main body portion for engagement with said boot, a tongue formed integrally with said main body portion and projecting forwardly of said toe iron, a cable tensioning toggle means secured on said tongue whereby said toe iron and toggle means are movable in unison with said carrier in a longitudinal direction of said ski, a base member in the form of a plate member for securement to said ski under said main body portion of said carrier member, said base member being flat and having a central portion with a longitudinal slot therein, a filler plate securable to said ski under said base member at opposite sides of said central portion for forming a space under said central portion, a foot plate securable to said ski behind said toe iron, said filler plate being arranged to extend rearwardly under said foot plate, locking means for fixing said carrier member relative to said base member in a plurality of positions longitudinally of said ski for varying the relative position of said boot along said ski, said locking means including a rigid member in said space and being of greater width than said slot, said rigid member being engageable with the bottom surface of the central portion of said base member, a threaded stud fixed to said rigid member and projecting upwardly through a bore in said carrier member over said slot, nut means threaded onto said threaded stud for clamping said main body portion against said base member as said nut means is tightened.

12. A ski binding device for fastening a ski boot to a ski, said device comprising a plate member forming a carrier member for mounting over the ski, said carrier member having a main body portion, a toe iron secured to said carrier member and projecting upwardly from said main body portion for engagement with said boot, a tongue formed integrally with said main body portion for engagement with said boot, a cable tensioning toggle means secured on said tongue whereby said toe iron and toggle means are movable in unison with said carrier member in a longitudinal direction of said ski through a plurality of positions relative to said ski, said main body portion of said carrier member having opposed downwardly depending side flanges to thereby provide an inverted U-shaped portion in cross-section for fitting over said ski, said U-shaped portion preventing transverse movement of said carrier relative to said ski by engagement of said flanges with side edges of said ski, and locking means including a base member securable to said ski and a retaining means releasably fixed to said base member, said returning means being engageable with said carrier member in each of said positions for locking said carrier member relative to said base member, whereby said carrier may be selectively shifted longitudinally of said ski to thereby vary the relative position of the boot.

13. A ski binding device for fastening a ski boot to a ski, said device comprising a plate member forming a carrier member for mounting over the ski, said carrier member having a main body portion, a toe iron secured to said carrier member and projecting upwardly from said main body portion for engagement with said boot, a tongue formed integrally with said main body portion and projecting forwardly of said toe iron, a cable tensioning toggle means secured to said tongue whereby said toe iron and toggle means are movable in unison with said carrier member in a longitudinal direction of said ski through a plurality of positions relative to said ski, a tongue guide having attachment means for securing said guide to said ski, said guide including an elongated channel member having inwardly turned side flanges for encompassing side edge portions of said tongue whereby upward movement of said tongue from said ski is pre vented but longitudinal reciprocation of said tongue in said channel member permits sliding adjustment of said carrier member between said positions, said attachment including a resilient U-shaped bracket having one leg for fixing to said ski with the other leg projecting rearwardly thereabove for reception in the forward end of said channel member, said channel member having abutment means at the rear end thereof to prevent movement of said channel member off. said U-shaped bracket unless said rear end is raised to thereby flex said U-shaped bracket, and locking means including a base member securable to said ski and a retaining, means releasably fixed to said base member, said retaining means being engageable with said carrier member in each of said positions for locking said carrier member relative to said base member, whereby said carrier member may be selectively shifted longitudinally of said ski to thereby vary the relative position of the boot 14. A ski binding device for fastening a ski boot to a ski, said device comprising a plate member forming a carrier member for mounting over the ski, said carrier member having a main body portion, a toe iron secured to said carrier member and projecting upwardly from said main body portion for engagement with said boot, a tongue formed integrally with said main body portion and projecting forwardly of said toe iron, said tongue having an end portion turned under to form a hook, a cable tensioning toggle means secured to said tongue whereby said toe iron and toggle means are movable in unison with said carrier member in a longitudinal direction of said ski through a plurality of positions relative to the ski, locking means including a base member securable to the ski and a retaining means releasably fixed to said base member, said retaining means being engageable with said carrier member in each of said positions for locking said carrier member relative to said base, a tongue guide including an elongated mounting means securable to said ski forward of said base member and under said tongue and a plurality of longitudinally spaced resilient bands each for receiving and holding said hook of said tongue when said locking means fastens said carrier member in one of said positions to thereby prevent upward movement of said tongue from the ski.

15. Aheel cable holding device for mounting on a ski having a foot plate, a heel cable and a toggle means ahead of said foot plate for tensioning said heel cable, said device comprising filler means for mounting between the foot plate and the ski and including a pair of e1ongated metal side members of angle-shaped cross-section to define inwardly projecting lateral flanges and short outside vertical flanges, said outside vertical flanges having a plurality of aligned notches, a plurality of transverse plastic strips extending between said outside vertical flanges to define side walls of transverse channels extending across the Width of the ski beneath said foot plate between the aligned notches in said vertical flanges, said channels being spaced in the longitudinal direction of the ski by said transverse strips, and a longitudinal plastic filler strip between inside edges of said lateral flanges to define with said lateral flanges the top walls of said channels, said longitudinal filler strip and lateral flanges of said side members having coplanar top surfaces for supporting said foot plates; and a pair of cable hold-down elements, each having a cable eye portion and a shank portion, said shank portion being receivable in any one of said channels whereby the position of said elements relative to the ski in the longitudinal direction thereof may be varied.

16. A heel cable holding device as defined in claim 15, wherein said channels are shallow and wide in crosssection, and wherein each cable hold-down members is formed of flat metal strips having a cross-section shape for snug fit in said channels, said eye portions being formed by a curled-under outer end portion of said strip.

17. A heel cable holding device as defined in claim 16, wherein the strip forming one of said cable holddown members has a projection on the inner end thereof and the strip forming the other has a recess formed in the inner end thereof for securing said projection in a mating relationship in said channel when said shanks of said hold-down members are fully inserted from opposite ends of a common channel.

18. A heel cable holding device as defined in claim 15, wherein the strip forming the shank portion of each hold-down member has a notch formed in one side edge for receiving said outside vertical flange adjacent said opening of the channel, and further comprising a spring element in said channel for engaging the other side edge of the shank portion for biasing said shank in said channel to a position in which said notch in said shank portion receives said vertical flange to prevent accidental movement of said shank out of said channel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,742,299 4/1956 Voster 280-4135 2,950,119 8/1960 Gembruch 28011.35 3,244,431 4/1966 Hatlapa 28011.35 3,248,124 4/1966 Tiesler 280-4135 3,314,687 4/1967 Tiesler 28011.35

FOREIGN PATENTS 717,397 9/1965 Canada. 1,168,038 8/1958 France. 1,206,878 8/ 1959 France. 1,255,073 1/1961 France.

820,722 11/ 1951 Germany.

195,991 6/ 1938 Switzerland.

OTHER REFERENCES German printed application No. 1,195,649, June 1965, Friz.

BENJAMIN HERSH, Primary Examiner M. L. SMITH, Assistant Examiner 

